Classics that have been ordered out of schools or off shelves in the past include the John Steinbeck classic "Of Mice and Men" and "Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. Other titles are "The Great Gatsby," "Ulysses," "The Grapes of Wrath," and "The Catcher in the Rye."

Banned Books Week began in 1982 in response to what organizers said was a “sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982.”

The American Library Association on its website says “a challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.”